Daddy Derek
by ReluctantSlashFan
Summary: An au where Allison is Derek's Daughter... (also some pre-slash Sterek because of reasons)
1. Daddy's Little Girl

**Uh, hi! So, I miss Allison so much (still shocked she's gone... and I know Crystal wanted to leave the show but did the writers really have to do what they did to her), so I decided to write this. Um, so, yeah.**

**Anyway, Allison is Derek and Kate's daughter in this (because of reasons) and Stiles is Erica's dad (again because of reasons), and if I get enough of a response I may add a few more chapters.**

**So, thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy this au, and drop me a comment if you can.**

**Bye!**

**P.S. All characters are owned by Mr. Davis, and are not mine... *sighs***

* * *

Derek had been in his third year of college when he met Kate Argent. She had been a grad student who transferred from San Diego State, moving in down the hall from his apartment. It didn't take long for the two to start dating, even less for Derek to fall completely in love with her; to the point where they were moving in together after two months.

Laura told him to slow down, maybe take a step back, reevaluate his relationship, but it probably would have been easier teaching a stuffed dog how to fetch. Derek had been stubborn, wouldn't listen, and continued to fall harder and deeper in love with Kate.

Six months into their relationship, Kate ended up pregnant. Derek, while having not giving much thought to having kids, had actually been pretty excited about the news; Kate, not so much, but she put on an act for Derek. Something he wouldn't know anything about until months later.

Allison Talia Argent-Hale was born on March 20, at 11:34 in the morning. Derek spent the first few hours of his daughter's life counting her toes and fingers, rocking her gently back and forth, singing an old, Irish lullaby his mother used to sing to him, unable to let her go.

Kate's brother showed up, along with his viper of a wife, and Derek kept a wary eye on the couple, cradling Allison against his chest, watching as they talked to Kate. Surprisingly, she hadn't looked at Allison once, hadn't even asked to hold her, but every time Derek brought it up, she'd give him a half smile and just say she was tired; that she'd hold Allison later.

After Chris and Victoria left, Cora and Laura showed up. Cora immediately demanded she be able to hold Allison, taking a seat next to Derek and making grabby hands at the baby. Reluctantly, Derek handed his daughter over, showing Cora how to hold her little head, and, once satisfied, stood to join Laura and Kate.

"So, what are you planning now?" Laura asked curiously, looking between Kate and Derek.

They exchanged a quick look, the latter shrugging while the former turned back to Laura and said, "Why don't you worry about your kid and I'll worry about mine."

Laura, six months pregnant with her son, protectively wrapped her arms around her torso and said, "It's a valid question. Are you getting married? Are you finishing college? Are you taking a break? I mean, have you made any plans?"

"Laura," Derek said sharply, obviously sensing the tension rolling off Kate, cutting his sister off. Laura took a step back, raising her hands defensively, and didn't say another word the rest of her visit.

After his sisters left, Derek having reclaimed his daughter and sitting on the couch again, he glanced over at Kate and said, "We can get married. If you want."

"Can we talk about this later?" Kate asked turning over onto her side, keeping her back to him, and Derek took that as his cue to shut up, returning his attention to Allison. She reminded him of his mother, with just enough Kate mixed in, and he preferred it that way.

**DLG**

Six months later, Derek returned to the apartment with Allison, having gone jogging with her, taking advantage of the handful of nice days left, only to find a note sitting on the counter. In Kate's neat handwriting, written on the back of a Whole Foods' receipt, were the words: _I'm sorry._

About two weeks after that, Derek dropped out of college, packed his and Allison's stuff, and moved in with his sisters. Laura, already dealing with her son Isaac, welcomed the help (though Derek could tell she didn't like the fact that he dropped out of college), and cleaned out the spare bedroom for Derek and Allison.

"What are you going to tell her about Kate?" Laura asked quietly, leaning against the doorway, watching Allison's sleeping form. She worried too much, one of her most annoying qualities, and when she didn't have her eyes glued to the television, making sure her husband didn't become another casualty of the war, or fussing over her son, her targets generally became Cora and Derek.

"I don't know," Derek admitted shrugging, standing next to his sister. A small part of him had hoped that Kate would return. That she'd take a few weeks, maybe a month or two, realize she missed Derek and Allison, and come back; if not for Derek then for Allison at least.

"Well, you always have a place here," Laura told him with a small smile, pushing away from the doorway. She gently ruffled his hair, gave him a peck on the cheek, and moved down the hallway, disappearing into her bedroom.

* * *

It took another six months before Derek actually accepted that Kate probably wasn't coming back. In that time, Allison learned to stand on her own, took a few tentative steps before falling on her butt, and even went around the house calling everything, "Da-da." All without Kate.

In fact, she moved on from liquid to solid food without Kate, she listened to Derek read to her every night without Kate, and she was learning, very slowly, how to live without Kate. In fact, Derek doubted Allison would even remember her mother, and, truthfully, that hurt. As someone who didn't have a mother anymore (his parents dying in a car wreck when he was sixteen), he hated the idea of Allison never knowing her mother.

The only real tie Allison had to her mother was Chris. Kate's brother contacted Derek a week after Kate took off, asked if they could meet, and pretty much offered to take Allison off his hands. Derek very kindly told Chris to fuck off, and stormed out of the diner. A few days later, Chris showed up at his apartment, while Derek was in the middle of packing, and apologized; asked if he could still be a part of his niece's life, offered to look after her when Derek had class.

Derek agreed to the first bit, but having already dropped out of college, he saved the second bit for when he absolutely needed a sitter. And since he didn't see himself dating anyone else ever again, that probably wouldn't be a problem.

* * *

It had been Laura's idea to throw the birthday party for Allison. She invited some of their neighbors, their Uncle Peter (who spent the majority of the time flirting with anyone who arrived alone), and Allison's aunt and uncle. Victoria, who never particularly cared for Derek, declined the invite, but Chris showed up. He gave Allison a black wolf, something his mother had given him, and spent the rest of the party avoiding Peter.

After her party, Allison fell asleep clutching her new wolf (who Cora decided to name Inky without consulting Derek), a little bit of frosting still sticking to her cheek. Derek cleaned it off carefully, watching his daughter, studying her. She still looked like his mother, but she was starting to look more and more like Kate with every passing day.

It hurt, to think that someone could leave this beautiful, sweet little girl. Derek wasn't sure why Kate did it; he didn't think he'd ever be sure, but he silently made a promise to Allison that he would never leave her, that he would fight anyone who tried to take her away.

"Daddy loves you more than anything," he whispered to her, gently running a hand through her dark hair, muttering the words to the Irish lullaby his mother sang to him, before turning off the lights and going to bed.

* * *

**Four years later…**

Bony knees dug into his chest, bringing Derek back to consciousness. A puff of warm air breezed across his face, the strong smell of spearmint stinging his nose, small hands cupping his cheeks, and a soft voice whispered, "Daddy, wake up." Derek pretended to be asleep, holding a smirk at bay, and felt Allison gently tap his face with her hands. "Daddy," she said louder, getting close to his face. "Daddy?"

His eyes popped open, startling her, and he wrapped an arm around her waist, dragging her down next to him, curling around her. She giggled, trying to squirm free, and he just held on a bit tighter. "Daddy, it's school today," she breathlessly, giggling harder.

"But I wanna stay in bed," Derek teased, burying his face into her wild, dark hair. "Can't we just stay here _all_ day?"

"No, silly Daddy." Allison turned over to face him, whispering, "I wanna go to school."

Derek sighed playfully, letting her go, and said, "Alright, but I'm not happy about it." He rolled out of bed, running a hand through his messy hair, and stumbled out of his room, heading into the bathroom. When he emerged a few moments later, Allison stood in the doorway of her room, biting her index finger, looking at the clothes piled on her bed.

"I can't decide what to wear," she said softly, turning to look at him, a troubled look on her face.

"What did you have in mind, kiddo?" Derek asked heading into her room.

"I don't know," she muttered moving forward, digging through the pile. "I don't want the other kids to laugh at me."

"Bug, they're not going to laugh at you," Derek assured her crouching down next to her. "Whatever you wear they'll like, okay?" Besides, they were a bunch of five-year-olds. Derek recalled half the kids in his kindergarten class wearing plaid and stripes, and no one poked fun at them. It was around fourth or fifth grade when the kids started judging the other kids on what they wore.

"I think I'm gonna wear this," she finally said, pulling a green sweater from the bottom. Derek recognized it from Cora's old hand-me-downs, Allison outgrowing clothes faster than he could afford. "And this," Allison continued dragging a pair of jeans from the middle of the pile.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely," Allison replied nodding.

"Okay." Derek stood up, leaving Allison alone to change, and headed into his room. He dragged on a pair of jeans, pulled a hooded sweatshirt on over his tank top, and dug out a pair of black socks from his drawer. Heading out of his room, Derek moved down the short hallway, stopping when he spotted Allison on one of the bar stools, dragging two, bright green bowls from the cabinet.

She wobbled a bit, Derek dropping his socks and hurrying to catch her before she could fall, and he gently lowered her to the floor. It had become routine for them, so he had just given up scolding her every time she did it. He took the bowls from her, filling both with their preferred cereal (Lucky Charms for him, Cheerios for her), adding milk to both bowls.

"Do you think Isaac is excited?" Allison asked curiously, leaning over her bowl, shoving cereal into her mouth faster than humanly possible.

"Probably, and slow down," Derek said not needing her to choke on her first day of school.

"Sorry," she apologized giving him a sheepish grin. "Can I take Inky with me today?"

"I think Inky should stay here today," Derek replied draining his milk. He turned, putting his bowl in the sink, turning back to see Allison pouting, brown eyes downcast, arms crossed against her chest. "Bug, I don't want you losing him again."

"I didn't lose him," she grumbled into her cereal bowl. "He just went on an adventure."

"I'm sure Inky has had enough adventures for a lifetime." Derek recalled the last time Inky went on an 'adventure.' It had taken him two and a half hours at the bus station, looking through every single bus, only to find Inky in the back of the second to last one, smelling faintly of piss. He had washed the wolf ten times before he even deemed it worthy enough to give back to Allison.

"Fine," Allison relented with a small sigh, poking at her cereal. Derek knew what she was doing, Cora having pulled the same crap when they were kids, and he was not going to fall for it.

* * *

Inky peeked out of Allison's purple backpack, his head jiggling back and forth as she ran towards the bus stop. He still couldn't believe he had agreed to let her take that stupid wolf to school. Sometimes he was convinced Allison had mystical powers; other times he knew Cora had taught her how to perfect that stupid puppy dog look (in fact, Cora had taught _both_ Allison and Isaac). He suspected his sister may be a witch.

Derek called after Allison, "Wait for me, Bug!" She stopped, turning to give him an impatient look, tapping her foot. In that moment, she reminded him of Laura, and Derek snorted, shaking his head. He sometimes wondered why he moved to Beacon Hills to be closer to his sisters.

At the bus stop, Allison entertained herself by balancing on the bench, muttering some song Cora had taught her. Derek caught her around the middle, turning her in a half circle, and she giggled, burying her face into his neck.

The bus pulled up, and he set her back on the sidewalk, ushering her onto it. After showing his and Allison's passes, they took a seat somewhere near the middle, on one of those bench seats, squished between a burly lawyer and an older man knitting a hat. Allison kicked her little, purple rain boots, humming quietly to Inky, while Derek laid his head back, staring at the ceiling.

He hated having to take the bus, but he hadn't exactly broken down and gotten a car yet. It had only been a few months since they moved to Beacon Hills, and on top of getting Allison settled plus his job at the library he hadn't exactly thought about a social life much less a car. Not that he had much of a social life when they lived in Sacramento. His life tended to revolve around work and Allison.

The bus stopped, the burly lawyer standing and getting off, and Derek let his eyes close. They popped open a moment later when he heard someone say, "The jeep picked the worst possible day to breakdown."

"The car fixer guy can fix her, right Daddy?" a small voice asked, sounding distressed by the idea of this 'so called' jeep never being able to drive again.

"He's fixed her before, Sunshine. He'll do it again."

"Good."

Derek felt someone settle next to him, pressing into his side, and he tilted his head just enough to see a gangly, brunet man sitting next to him, a little blonde girl, possibly around Allison's age, sitting to his left, her green converse sneakers tucked underneath her, small hand clutching the guy's sleeve.

"Grandpa thinks we should get a new car," the guy said and the blonde wrinkled her nose at the idea. "Exactly. Gertrude has been a part of the family ever since I was a little kid. We can't just get rid of her."

"Grandpa needs to sort out his priorities," the girl commented and the guy nodded, giving her a fond smile. "That's from Harry Potter, Daddy."

"Yeah it is." The brunet ruffled her hair, letting his arm rest behind her, and the two fell silent.

"Daddy," Allison whispered tugging on his sweatshirt. Derek rolled his head, looking down at her, giving her his undivided attention. "Can I have this?" She shoved a red and green hat in his face, smiling brightly, pointing at the older man next to her. "He said he can make you one, too."

"Allison, I don't think…"

"It's quite alright," the man said, standing when the bus stopped. "I make way too many, I usually give them to the boutique downtown, so giving her one is actually no problem." He smiled, already walking away, nodding the brunet's way when he passed him.

"Where's my gloves, old man," the brunet called, a teasing smile on his face, and the older guy glared, before stepping off the bus. The brunet turned his attention to Derek, his eyes widening for a fraction of a second, a small grin crossing his lips as he said, "That's Deaton. He retired a few years ago, needed to keep himself busy, so he joined my step-mom's knitting class. He's harmless, gives my brother Scott and my daughter Erica hats and gloves for Christmas every year. Last year he actually volunteered to help Santa." The guy winked, smirking, and held out his hand. "I'm Stiles by the way."

"Uh, Derek," Derek introduced shaking the brunet's hand.

"This is my pride and joy, Erica," Stiles said gesturing to Erica. The blonde smiled, waving, her brown eyes lightening up when they settled on Allison. Stiles followed his daughter's line of sight, smiling softly when he spotted Allison, too. "And who's this?"

"I'm Allison," Allison said softly, looking down at her lap, fiddling with her new hat. She seemed to go through shy phases from time-to-time, something Laura claimed Allison got from him (which is completely false).

"Are you starting school today, too, Allison?" Stiles asked, sounding genuinely curious, ducking down so he could try and catch Allison's eyes. Mutely, she nodded, scrunching her shoulders and studying her shoes, but Derek caught the small smile spreading across her face.

She had been excited about school since the age of three, ever since Cora took her with her to one of those 'Mom's Day Out' things. She had originally wanted to take Isaac, but he had never been nearly as free spirited as Allison and refused to leave Laura's side. When Allison returned home, she had spent the rest of the day talking about 'the big kid school,' and how badly she wanted to go.

Of course, if Derek were being honest, he might be having a harder time watching her grow up than he let on. Laura knew, she always knew, and he ignored those knowing smirks she tossed his way whenever Allison brought up school.

When the bus pulled up to their stop, a block away from the grade school, Stiles and Erica followed Derek and Allison off the bus. While the group walked the rest of the way, Allison and Erica chatted happily with each other, fast friends (and a kid's ability to do that still left Derek baffled), Allison showing Erica Inky while the blonde pulled out her duck Earl.

"It used to be my duck," Stiles explained nodding at the duck. "My dad bought it for me the day I was born, and my mom named it." A sad smile crossed his face, but it quickly disappeared as he continued, "Just last week Erica lost him, and I found it behind the washer; nearly brained myself trying to get it."

"Allison left Inky on the bus," Derek explained shoving his hands in his sweatshirt pocket. "I had to wash him ten times before I gave him back to her."

"Inky?"

"My sister Cora named him," Derek said slowly, shrugging. "It's kind of a name that's just stuck, so his name's Inky."

"Better than Earl," Stiles muttered but still grinned, and Derek shook his head, smiling.

At the building, Allison bounced excitedly, but she still looked a little uncertain. She bit her lip, looking between the school and Derek, but finally she nodded, pulled Inky from her backpack, and handed him over to her father. "You look like you need him more than I do," she said softly.

"Bug, are you sure?" Derek asked carefully taking Inky.

She nodded, hugging him tightly. Derek hugged her back, kissing the top of her head, almost not letting go, but finally he released her. Allison waved, running towards the school, meeting up with Erica halfway. Derek watched her disappear inside, blinking twice, attempting to clear his vision.

"She'll be fine," Stiles said from behind him, and Derek turned, meeting caramel eyes and smiled.

"Yeah, she will," he agreed clutching Inky to his chest.

"Come on, big guy," Stiles started, wrapping an arm around Derek's shoulders. "I'll buy you a coffee."


	2. Daddy's Little Archer

**Here's a new chapter! It's for everyone who asked for another chapter, and those who liked the first chapter. I'll probably add more later (I do have one more chapter so far... I need to write more). Anyway, thanks for reviewing, alerting, and/or favoriting last chapter. I hope you enjoy this, and thanks for reading.**

**Leave me a comment if you can.**

**Bye!**

* * *

It had started with Laura taking Isaac and Allison to the new Hunger Games movie (Erica had been invited, but she had had a doctor's appointment and couldn't go). Apparently the main character, Kitty Kat or whatever (the characters had weird names, and Derek couldn't remember them), could shoot a bow. And Allison, being five and far too adventurous for a five-year-old, had become fascinated by the bow. She wanted to learn to shoot one, just like this Kat girl, and Derek really, really, really did not want his baby touching anything remotely sharp or pointy (or that could potentially lose her an eye… or her life).

But Cora, being the 'awesome' aunt that she claimed to be, bought Allison a toy bow. She hadn't told Derek, of course she hadn't, and he had been just as surprised as Allison when she unwrapped the gift.

"A Katniss Bow!" Allison screamed waving it in the air. "Look Daddy, Auntie Cora bought me a Katniss bow!" She stumbled forward, wrapping her arms around Cora, hugging her tightly. Allison broke the hug, kneeling down next to the gift bag, looking inside with a gleeful expression on her face.

"I see that," Derek responded giving his daughter a forced smile, turning to glare at his smirking sister. "Thank you, Auntie Cora," he added sarcastically.

"You're quite welcome," Cora stated equally sardonic, crouching down next to Allison. "It comes with arrows, too, and a target."

"This is so cool," Allison gushed practically shaking with excitement. "I want to shoot it! Can we Daddy?" Allison turned to Derek, flashing her puppy dog eyes, silently begging.

He should have just said no, taken the bow and all its equipment, and found a deep, dark hole to throw it in, but Derek felt his resolve crack and heard himself say, "Not in the apartment, Bug, but I'm sure Auntie Laura and Uncle Nick will let you shoot it in their backyard."

"And I can show Isaac!" Allison dropped the bow, racing down the hallway, calling over her shoulder, "Let me grab my jacket!"

The moment she had disappeared into her room, Derek turned his pale eyes to Cora, raising his eyebrows questioningly, maybe slightly judging her ability to be a grown adult.

"Oh come on," she said rolling her eyes, "you had a bb gun when you were eight. And that had _real_ bullets that could inflict _real_ damage." She grumbled something about 'knowing first hand,' and Derek winced slightly at the memory of a two-year old Cora bleeding from the leg, a bb imbedded in her skin. That also had been the last time Derek saw his bb gun (and Peter had gotten an earful that night).

"Her arrows are Styrofoam and plastic," Cora continued crossing her arms defiantly.

"Yeah, but…"

"But what?" Cora raised one eyebrow, challenging him. "She wanted a Katniss bow, I bought her a Katniss bow. Knowing her, she'll grow tired of it in about a week."

"I only just got her out of her Black Widow phase," Derek grumbled crossing her arms tightly against his chest. After watching Iron Man 2 with Cora, Allison had made it a habit of jumping out from behind the kitchen island, squirting Derek in the face with the sink sprayer, and then kicking his shins before baseball sliding down the hallway. He had put a stop to that when she collided with the wall.

"Derek, just let her have her fun," Cora said moving forward, clapping him on the shoulder. "She's only going to be five once, you know?"

"Yes, but I'd like her to make it to six," Derek hissed just as Allison returned, clutching Inky's left ear in her hand, the wolf hanging limply in the air, her purple hoodie hanging off her shoulders.

"Let's go, Daddy, Auntie Cora," she exclaimed grabbing her bow and heading towards the door. Derek sighed heavily, but still grabbed the bag containing the arrows and target, following his daughter outside, Cora a few steps behind him.

* * *

Cora had been wrong. Allison did not move on from her archery phase, in fact she became almost obsessed with everything to do with a bow. She made Derek sit through Brave, The Avengers (again), Thor, and all three Lord of the Rings movies, wanting to see all the archers in action. Cora bought her a couple of those animated, Green Arrow movies, and after watching them Allison begged for a green hoodie and a mask.

For Halloween, which seemed to creep up on Derek (like most holidays tended to do), Allison decided she wanted to be Legolas. Laura and Deaton (who had become a pretty good friend), made Allison's costume, the latter sitting through all three Lord of the Rings movies more than once, studying what Orlando Bloom wore, making sure he made it as accurate as possible.

On top of Allison's costume, Deaton had also been making Erica and Scott's, but neither were being anything remotely close to Allison's (though, Erica could give Allison a run for her money since she wanted to be Catwoman).

Two days before Halloween, while Derek and Allison were shopping for candy (they had to do it as close to Halloween as possible or they ate all the candy), Derek's cell phone buzzed from his pocket. His attention on candy, Derek absentmindedly handed the phone over to Allison.

"Hello?" she answered with ease, knowing how to work the phone better than Derek on most days. "Oh, hi Mr. Stiles!" Derek looked up from the candy, turning to look at his daughter. "We're getting candy! Yeah, Daddy says it's 'cause we eat it all, but Auntie Laura says he's just lazy. Hey!" Allison shouted indignantly when Derek took the phone, glaring at her father and crossing her arms huffily.

"Hi," Derek said gesturing for Allison to pick out some candy. She immediately perked up, moving forward and grabbing two armfuls of Skittles. "What's up?"

"_Erica and I wanted to know if you wanted to go trick or treating with us?"_ Stiles asked sounding amused. "_Scott's gonna be there, along with Boyd."_ Vernon Boyd Mahealani was the adopted child of two of Stiles' friends (Danny and Ethan), and apparently he was 'betrothed' to Erica.

(When Derek asked about that, Stiles had chuckled and quickly said, "It's not an arranged married or anything. It's just, when Erica was four she came home from playing at Scott's, looked me right in the eye, and said, 'Daddy, I'm in love.' Naturally, I asked her what she meant, and she told me about Boyd and how she was going to marry him.

"It's a harmless crush, she'll probably get over it. And if she doesn't, well I've met Boyd and I would be honored to have him as my son-in-law. Plus, when Erica told him they were getting married, he just shrugged and shared his animal crackers with her. So…")

Derek kind of accepted that Erica and Stiles were a unique pair, and pretty much stopped questioning anything that came out of Stiles' mouth. It would be a much safer and healthier friendship that way. Plus, he hadn't met Scott yet (Stiles' seven-year-old brother), and he knew Allison wouldn't mind the company.

"Alright," he agreed looking down at Allison, rolling his eyes when he saw the Kit-Kats and Snickers she had added to the pile of Skittles.

"_Cool_," Stiles said just as someone called his name in the background. "_That's my dad, I've gotta run. So, I'll see you on the bus tomorrow."_

"Yeah," Derek agreed and hung up.

Despite having his jeep back, Stiles and Erica had made it a habit of riding the bus every morning with Derek and Allison. It gave Allison someone to talk to (since she didn't see Isaac until she got to school), and it also gave Derek someone to talk to, too, especially since the 'coffee thing' seemed to become a regular thing.

He learned quite a lot about Stiles (the guy talked fast and talked a lot), from his favorite color being sea-foam green, to him being a single father like Derek (though they hadn't gotten into the _why_). He talked about his favorite movies, his favorite books, what he actually thought about the first three episodes of Star Wars (which had resulted in Derek admitting he'd never seen any of the movies and Stiles insisting he borrow episodes 4-6), and pretty much the lowdown on the residents of Beacon Hills

As the sheriff's son, Stiles knew everything about everyone, from old man Finstock who spent the majority of his day yelling at his dog Greenburg, to terrifying Lydia Martin and her shiny red hair (Derek had seen her and it was not strawberry blonde like Stiles claimed) and green eyes who owned the record store.

Derek already knew most of this, his brother-in-law Nick being a deputy and Laura the biggest busybody to ever walk the earth, but he just let Stiles talk. It seemed to be therapeutic for the guy, and he didn't seem to annoy Derek as much as he thought he would, so that was a major plus, too.

It also didn't hurt that Derek liked spending time with Stiles. For the first time in forever, he finally had a friend that was not five or his family, and it felt nice to be able to actually talk about adult stuff without someone asking for a drink or teasing him like Laura or mocking him like Cora.

Derek shook his head, stashing his phone in his pocket, turning to see Allison trying to hide the cart with her body, a sheepish grin on her face. He gave her a pointed look and she frowned, but still mumbled, "Okay." She turned, standing on her tiptoes to reach the pile of candy inside the cart, slowly starting to put most of it back.

* * *

Derek followed the directions Stiles had given him, pulling up to a small two-story with a police cruiser and an old, beaten up jeep sitting in the driveway. In the backseat, Allison and Isaac whispered excitedly back and forth, Isaac's bug antennas wobbling as he nodded his head.

"Come on guys," Derek said getting out of the car. He opened the back door, unlocking their booster seats, letting them out, and the two immediately ran to the door. Derek followed them at a slower pace, nearly tripping over a fake headstone.

Allison knocked, bouncing on her heels, clutching her bow tightly in her hands. She may or may not have had a couple of pieces of candy already, Derek wasn't exactly sure, but Cora's jacket kept crinkling every time she moved, so Derek decided to blame his daughter's hyperness on his evil, little sister.

The door flew open and a little boy, wearing a wolf mask, jumped at them, growling, brandishing his fake claws. Isaac took a step back, bumping into Derek's leg, clutching tightly to his uncle's jeans, but Allison jumped forward, pulling a plastic arrow from the satchel on her back, nocking it to her bowstring, and proceeded to shoot the boy with it. She still hadn't mastered how to hold the bow, so the arrow went wide, but it still hit the kid in the arm.

"You're dead werewolf," she called triumphantly, glancing back at Derek, beaming brightly.

The boy pulled the mask off, a small, dimpled face appearing, and he said, "Wow! Where did you get that? Can I try?"

"My Auntie gave it to me?" Allison answered and held her bow up so the boy could see, "She said it was to piss my daddy off, but…"

"Allison Talia," Derek said sharply and she stopped talking, looking down at her boots.

"Sorry," she grumbled shuffling her feet.

"That's okay," the boy said cheerfully, "my brother Stiles says that stuff all the time."

"Really?" Allison lifted her head, and the boy nodded. "Okay." All smiles again, she followed the boy when he went inside, picking up her arrow as she walked past it.

Derek glanced down at Isaac, who looked up at him with wide, blue eyes, and he asked, "Are you okay?"

"I don't like that mask," Isaac whispered clutching Derek's pant leg tighter, burying his face into his uncle's thigh. "I think I need to go home."

"It's alright, buddy," Derek said softly, running a hand through his nephew's hair. "I'm sure between Allison and I we can keep you safe."

"If you say so," Isaac replied skeptically, reminding Derek of Cora, but he still released his uncle's leg and cautiously walked inside, only to stop in the doorway. He turned, holding his hand out to Derek, his eyes pleading his uncle to take it. Smiling, Derek took the boy's hand and led him the rest of the way inside, closing the door behind them.

**DLA**

"I think he's done," Stiles commented nodding at Isaac. The small boy snored softly against Derek's neck, arms wrapped around his uncle, candy bag somehow still held loosely in his left hand.

"Laura says he gets his sleeping habits from me," Derek joked softly, running a hand down Isaac's back. "Apparently we're both in bed by seven every night."

"You go to bed at seven?" Stiles asked curiously, eyebrows furrowed.

"Nah, six-forty-five." Derek grinned at his own joke, and Stiles chuckled shaking his head. "Honestly, it is getting pretty late, and Allison is gonna probably eat her body weight in candy, so we should…"

"Yeah," Stiles agreed and the two men moved forward to collect their kids, just in time to see some ratty looking boy grab Allison's bow. Derek stepped forward, intending to do something, even with a sleeping kid in his arms, but Scott surprised him by stepping in front of Allison and punching the kid in the face.

Howling, the ratty boy dropped the bow and ran away, holding his nose. Scott picked the bow up, handing it to Allison. She took it with a smile, softly thanking him, and lightly pecked him on the cheek before bashfully running towards Derek, hiding behind his leg.

"Huh, we might have to plan another wedding," Stiles whispered to Derek, beaming when the older man glared at him. "I'm just kidding. Hey, you three," he called to Erica, Boyd, and Scott, the trio turning to look at him, the latter wearing a dumbstruck look on his face. "Let's go home."

On the way home, Isaac still asleep and Allison about ready to nod off, Derek heard her softly say, "I like Scott, Daddy. We should invite him to ride the bus with us in the morning."

"Yeah Bug," Derek murmured, watching as his daughter's eyes drooped closed, her breathing evening out, "we should do that." Silently, he wondered if it was too early to look into convents.


	3. Daddy's Hero

**Okay, the first part of this is in Allison's POV (I tried to make it sound like a 5 year old, but I most likely failed) while the second part is in Derek's. Just a heads up.**

**I am working on a new chapter (or I will be once this is up), and I thank everyone who reviewed, alerted, and/or favorited last chapter. You guys are awesome.**

**Thanks for reading, drop me a comment if you can, and I don't own anyone remotely associated with Teen Wolf.**

**Bye!**

* * *

Allison never knew her mommy. Her daddy once told her that she looked a lot like her mother, and she had seen pictures of her, but pictures were never enough. Allison wouldn't mind meeting her mother, but not at the price of losing her daddy.

She loved her daddy more than anything. More than Inky and the bow Auntie Cora gave her, even more than the color purple (and Allison _loved_ the color purple). She loved the grumpy look on his face when someone woke him up too early. She loved the way he tried (and usually failed) to make her Mickey Mouse pancakes on Sunday mornings. She loved his hugs, she loved how he'd swing her around, and she loved how he'd do the voices every time he read her a book. In fact, she loved everything about her daddy, except when he got sick or hurt.

Allison had only remembered one time her daddy got sick, but it had just been a cold. A lot of sneezing, some coughing, and he had sounded funny when he talked or breathed. She also remembered a few times he had hurt himself, and had even cried the last time when he fell off the roof, fixing something for Auntie Laura, and broken his arm. She got to sign his cast, which made her feel a little better, but she had also made Daddy promise to never, ever hurt himself again.

And he managed to keep that promise for a while, but one day, while Allison had been coloring in her room, she heard a familiar shout followed by a loud thump. She stood up from her small desk, eyeing the hallway cautiously, softly calling, "Daddy?" When he failed to respond, Allison called again, "Daddy, are you okay?"

Her daddy appeared in the doorway, holding a towel in his hands, and said, "Daddy's fine, Bug. Go back to coloring."

"Okay," Allison replied a little skeptical, but seeing her daddy standing, looking relatively okay, gave her enough reason to return to her Marvel coloring book. She sat back at her desk, looking down at the half colored Gwen Stacy, picking the blue crayon up again.

She had just started on Gwen Stacy's jacket, light blue prettier than dark blue, when she heard another thud followed by her daddy swearing. Allison glanced towards the door, knowing her daddy didn't say very many swear words around her (Auntie Cora said them all the time, along with Mr. Stiles, so Allison didn't understand why her daddy didn't say them), so to hear him say such a bad word made her curious.

She stood up, collecting Inky from his spot on her bed, and slowly walked out of her room. Allison moved down the hallway, stopping when she found her daddy in the bathroom. Leaning over the sink, he seemed to be looking into the mirror, checking his hair.

"What are you doing?" Allison asked clutching Inky to her chest.

Her daddy jumped, knocking his side into the counter, and turned to look at her. "Nothing," he said stepping away from the sink. "What do you want for dinner?"

Deciding that she and Inky needed to keep an extra close watch on her daddy, suspecting he might be keeping something from her, Allison said, "Chicken nuggets and mac and cheese." And then proceeded to follow him out of the bathroom and down the hall, scrambling onto one of the bar stools to watch him make dinner.

If her daddy suspected anything, he didn't say so, going about making dinner like he usually did, but while cooking Allison noticed he seemed to grab the counter more than he usually did. She also noticed he would stop sometimes, a confused look crossing his face, before he shook his head and continued making dinner. It all seemed very, very weird and Allison's stomach started hurting.

When the oven dinged, telling her daddy the nuggets were finished, Allison watched as he crossed the room and opened the door. He went to grab the pain, but hissed when his bare hand hit the hot metal. Allison hurried jumped down, running to the drawer that held the pot holders, and picked out a pink and purple cat one she had bought her daddy for Christmas.

"Are you okay?" she asked curiously, handing the pot holder to her daddy.

"Yeah," he replied, nodding, giving her a small smile when he took the pot holder. His eyes looked funny, something that made Allison's stomach hurt worse. She thought about calling Auntie Laura, asking her what that meant, but she remembered her Auntie Laura and Uncle Nick took Isaac to see Uncle Nick's mommy in Washington, and probably wouldn't answer the phone right away.

She could always call Auntie Cora, but her daddy mentioned Auntie Cora going away for the week with some friends, and that she had asked not to be bothered unless it was an emergency. Allison didn't know what would be an emergency to Auntie Cora, but she felt her daddy acting weird and having funny eyes must be an emergency. But just in case it wasn't, she decided not to call Auntie Cora.

That only left one person her daddy trusted, but Allison didn't want to bother Mr. Stiles or Mr. Deaton. She promised herself, if her daddy acted any weirder, she'd call one of her daddy's friends. They would surely tell her why her daddy's acting weird.

After dinner, Allison sat in the small, squishy, blue chair Auntie Laura bought her, watching as her daddy sat on the couch. She wasn't even paying attention to Tangled, Ryder Flynn and Rapunzel not as important as her daddy, but he seemed fine. He did look tired, and his eyes kept closing, but Allison knew her daddy sometimes got tired, and she figured _that_ might be the reason he's acting weird.

So, when he finally fell asleep, she left him be, convinced that when he woke up, he'd be back to his regular self. That still didn't stop Allison's stomach from hurting, but she tried to ignore it and finished watching Tangled.

About an hour later, long after Tangled finished, and the second Phineas and Ferb episode just starting, Allison started to feel tired herself. So, she turned the TV off, sliding out of her chair, and walked towards her daddy, shaking his shoulder.

"Daddy, wake up," she said waiting for a response. When one didn't come, she shook him again. "Daddy, wake up." She tried a third time, her eyes going blurry, and her stomach hurt worse than ever. "P-please Daddy, wake up."

She tried one, last time, but when her daddy failed to wake, Allison softly sobbed, looking for her daddy's phone. She found it under the coffee table, along with two quarters and her Katniss doll. Her Auntie Cora had taught her how to use the phone, telling her that her daddy needed all the help he could get, so Allison knew where her daddy kept his friends and her aunties' numbers. She also knew how to dial numbers, too, and she remembered her daddy telling her how to call for help.

"_911 state your emergency,"_ a lady's voice said after the phone rang twice.

"H-hello," Allison whispered, her voice small, "my daddy needs help. He won't wake up, and I need him to wake up."

"_Okay, sweetie, tell me what happened?"_

"I-I don't know," Allison admitted looking down at her daddy, "but he went to sleep and now he won't wake up."

"_What's your name?"_ the nice lady asked, her voice soft.

"A-Allison."

"_Okay, Allison, is your daddy breathing?"_

"Um," Allison looked down at her daddy, placing her hand over his nose, feeling warm air hit her palm, "y-yes."

"_Alright, sweetie, do you know your address?"_

"Um…" Allison tried to remember, but she's too scared and her daddy won't wake up. "N-no," she sobbed, shaking her head. "P-please help my daddy."

_"Okay, honey, just stay on the line_," the lady said just as someone knocked at the front door. Allison dropped the phone, running across the room, pulling the door open.

"Hey," Mr. Stiles said, holding up a bowl of cookies, "my step mom made…"

Allison's daddy always told her it's rude to interrupt someone, but she needed help and Mr. Stiles would help, so she grabbed his hand and tried to pull him inside. He willingly went with her, listening as Allison told him about her daddy not waking up, dropping the cookies when he spotted Derek.

"What happened?" he asked crouching down next to the couch, running a hand through Derek's dark hair. He glanced down when he heard a small voice, picking Allison's daddy's cell phone up. "Hello?"

Allison watched as Mr. Stiles nodded, standing up, moving across the room. He picked up the mail from the counter, reading the front, and then returned to Allison's side, placing the phone on the coffee table. "Okay, I need you to tell me what happened," he said softly, meeting her eyes.

"I-I don't k-know," Allison said wiping at her eyes. "I-I heard a-a-a loud noise, b-but Daddy s-said he was okay. H-he's okay, right? H-he's not gonna die." Allison cried harder, not wanting her daddy to die.

"Hey, it's okay. He's going to be okay." Mr. Stiles pulled Allison into a hug, running a hand down her back. She buried her face into his shoulder, arms tightly wrapped around his neck.

* * *

Allison kept looking down the hallway, looking for the doctor lady, her stomach still hurting long after her tears dried, Mr. Stiles sitting next to her. She hadn't been allowed to ride in the ambulance with her daddy, but Mr. Stiles brought her to the hospital. She had already made a promise to herself to make him a thank you card when she and her daddy returned to their apartment.

"Do you want something to eat?" Mr. Stiles asked curiously. Allison shook her head, fidgeting in her seat, wishing Auntie Cora or Auntie Laura were there, but mostly that her daddy wasn't hurt. She didn't want him to be hurt anymore.

Finally the doctor lady walked towards them, and Allison watched as Mr. Stiles stood up. The two talked for a while, the doctor lady finally telling Mr. Stiles that Derek had awoken and was asking for Allison. She offered to take Allison to her daddy, but Allison latched onto Mr. Stiles' hand and refused to let go until the doctor lady allowed him to accompany her.

"We'll be keeping him overnight for observations, maybe an extra day to be sure, but he should make a full recovery," the doctor lady told Mr. Stiles as she led him and Allison down the hallway. Allison tuned the adults out, just wanting to see her daddy, and had to restrain herself from letting Mr. Stiles' hand go and sprinting down the hallway.

The doctor lady let them into Derek's room, ducking out to give them some privacy, and Allison let Mr. Stiles go and raced across the room, practically jumping into her daddy's arms. She buried her face into his neck, softly crying, and whispered, "I was so scared."

"I'm alright, bug," he said stroking her hair. "I'm fine."

"Allison called 911," Mr. Stiles stated from the chair next to Derek's bed.

"You did?" Allison nodded, positing herself so she was sitting in her daddy's lap, resting her head against his chest. "You're my hero, bug," Derek murmured kissing her hair.

"I am?" she turned, giving him a curious look.

"Yeah," he replied nodding, smiling, "you are."

* * *

Derek made it a habit to avoid getting injured as much as possible. Allison needed him, and he couldn't spend long periods of time in a hospital, trying to recover from something stupid like a broken bone or a concussion. In fact, the last time he had landed himself in the hospital, Allison had been almost four. She cried, like most children are prone to do when they see their parents in less than perfect condition, and said, "Daddy promise no more ouchies." And he did keep that promise… for a while. But sometimes accidents did happen, the world an imperfect place, so Derek knew he couldn't avoid getting hurt (no matter how much he tried).

Derek wouldn't classify himself as clumsy. He didn't get mysterious bruises or cuts, didn't make it a habit of randomly running into things or tripping over his own feet. Hell, the last time he actually face-planted, after tripping over that 'elusive' air, had been on his twenty-first birthday. And he had had more alcohol in his system than that _one_ uncle (or in some cases aunt) at a family reunion.

He had been cleaning the dust off the top of the cabinets, Laura having claimed it messed with her allergies (which happened to be a loud of shit because Laura didn't _have _allergies), when his foot slipped off the edge of the counter, taking his six-one frame with it, his head colliding with one of the bar stools.

Coming to, he heard Allison calling for him from her room. Dragging himself to his feet, clutching his aching head, surprised to see his dust rag still clutched in his hand, Derek stumbled down the hall, stopping in Allison's doorway.

"Daddy's fine, Bug," he reassured her, meeting her dark eyes, "go back to coloring."

She gives him a skeptical look, but still said, "Okay." She returned to her coloring book, and Derek backed away from her doorway, slowly turning and heading towards the bathroom.

He collided with the door, swearing under his breath, dropping the dust rag to the floor, and headed towards the sink. He leaned forward to check out his head in the mirror, looking for any blood or goose eggs. It still hurt like a mother fucker, but he had had worse during his basket ball days. He'd be fine.

"What are you doing?" Allison asked from the doorway, startling Derek. His side knocked into the counter, sending a jolt of pain down his leg, but he ignored it, stepping away from the sink.

"Nothing," he answered. "What do you want for dinner?" He didn't mean to try to distract her, knew that she was legitimately worried about him, but he would be fine and didn't want her to worry. At five, Allison shouldn't have to worry about her father.

She didn't accept his answer, but she didn't push either. Instead, she said, "Chicken nuggets and mac and cheese."

Derek nodded and walked out of the room, very much aware of Allison trailing closely behind him. He headed towards the fridge, dragging out a bag of nuggets from the freezer, turning to see Allison sitting patiently at the bar, Inky sitting on the counter next to her arms.

He pre-heated the oven, pulling a pan from the cabinet above the stove. Heading towards the sink, he grabbed for the counter when a wave of dizziness rolled through him. Derek breathed deeply through his nose, waiting out the spell. It passed pretty quickly, and he gave himself a little shake, continuing with his task.

Twice he forgot what he had been doing, but Laura would have blamed that on his scattered brain. It wasn't like he forgot anything major, but he had been prone to forgetting holidays and the occasional appointment, so he didn't think _much_ of it. He still filed it away for later, already wondering if he should probably go get his head checked, but he really was fine. He didn't need a doctor poking or prodding him, and Allison really should have dinner first before he made any decisions.

When the oven timer went off, Derek crossed the room, opening the door. He reached down to grab the nuggets, hissing when his hand met hot metal. He jumped back, shaking his hand, a small hand pulling on his shirt. He looked down, Allison holding a purple pot holder out for him to take.

"Are you okay?" she asked curiously, worry evident in her eyes.

"Yeah," he replied taking the pot holder, giving her a forced smile. That had been a bit stupid on his part, trying to pull the nuggets out without any sort of protection for his hands. He added it to the list, again wondering if a trip to the ER might be in order, but he waved that thought away. It was a lapse in judgment, it happened all the time, he shouldn't be too worried about it.

After dinner, Allison suggested they watch TV, and Derek turned on the Disney Channel. Recently, he had been trying to get Allison to watch more age appropriate things, but it seemed to be a futile effort; especially when Cora let her watch The Terminator the last Saturday. Derek had come home from work to find his daughter donning his leather jacket, running around with a Nerf gun, telling Inky that she'd be back. Needless to say, Cora did not get paid for that baby-sitting adventure.

About mid-way through Tangled (or that's what Derek thought they were watching), he started to feel tired. And not the "I haven't slept in days and work is killing me" tired, either, but the "this is sudden and I felt fine a moment ago" tired. His eyes wouldn't stay open, no matter how hard he tried, and he started thinking a trip to the ER wasn't such a bad idea after all, but he just didn't feel like getting up.

_Maybe after a nap,_ he compromised falling to his side, blackness enveloping him.

* * *

He vaguely remembered someone shaking him, a very, very familiar calling his name over and over again, begging him to wake up. Derek tried, he really did, needing that voice to stop sounding so panicked, but it would have been much easier to make paint dry with his mind. He also remembered another voice, another familiar voice, calling his name, but this one, while important to him, wasn't as important as that first voice. And neither voice brought him any closer to waking up.

In fact, he seemed to be surrounded by darkness for quite some time, coming to when a light nearly blinded him. His head pounded, and he tried to swat the light away. He heard it click off and a voice say, "Mr. Hale? Mr. Hale, can you hear me?"

"A-Allison," he whispered peeling his eyes open. The bright, white room blurred for a moment before it snapped into focus, a smiling woman lingering over him.

"Hi," she said brightly, waving at him. "Do you know where you are?"

Derek shook his head, asking, "Where's Allison?"

"She's with my step-son," the woman replied nodding towards the door. "He tells me you two know each other. Stiles."

"Stiles?" Wait, Stiles had Allison. Where did Stiles even come from? The last thing Derek remembered had been cleaning the kitchen cabinets. "What happened?"

"We were kind of hoping you'd tell us. You were brought into the hospital because you wouldn't wake up, Mr. Hale," the nurse said softly. Hospital? Well, that explains the bright walls and the antiseptic smell. "You honestly don't remember what happened?"

Derek almost shook his head, but a few scattered memories came back to him. He remembered falling, but the rest was a complete blur. "I… I fell?"

"You fell?" When Derek nodded, the nurse smiled. "Okay, that's something. You do have a concussion, so your memory may take a while to come back. Until then, I think I'm going to go get Allison for you, okay?"

"Thank you," he said softly, watching the nurse leave the room.

He looked up at the ceiling, breathing through the pain, wondering how he had gotten here. Maybe Stiles had called an ambulance for him, but when exactly did Stiles show up? Derek couldn't remember much, but he's fairly certain he'd remember Stiles being at his place. Unless Allison called him, and that made him wonder if he should probably go through how to call for an ambulance again.

The thought of Allison had his stomach clenching with guilt. He had probably passed out, scaring the crap out of her, and he couldn't believe his little girl had to sit through that, wondering if he was ever going to wake up. In his quest to keep her from worrying, he no doubt made her worry even more. He had never felt like such a bad father as he did right that second.

The door opened, and Allison sprinted into the room. Ignoring the pain, Derek sat up and opened his arms, catching Allison when she threw herself at him. She buried her face in his neck, softly crying, and whispered, "I was so scared."

"I'm alright, Bug," Derek murmured, swallowing past the lump in his throat, running his fingers through her dark hair. "I'm fine." He looked up to see Stiles sinking into a chair, and mouthed, _Thank you._

Stiles shrugged, but still said, "Allison called 911."

"You did?" Derek glanced down at his daughter, and she nodded, maneuvering so she could sit in his lap, her head rested against his chest. "You're my hero, Bug." Derek kissed her hair, more proud of her than he'd ever been of anything or anyone in his life.

"I am?" she asked looked up at him, tears still clinging to her lashes.

"Yeah," he replied with a small smile, "you are." She gave him a shaky smile back, giving him a hug.


	4. Derek's Date

**Shame on me for this chapter. Shame on me!**

**Anyway, thanks for those who read, reviewed, and/or favorited last chapter. You guys are amazing!**

**Thanks for reading, drop me a comment if you can, and I still don't own 'em.**

**Bye!**

* * *

Derek worked at the local library. It wasn't his idea of a dream career or anything. He had, in fact, been studying to be a teacher before he dropped out of college, but a job's a job, and if it kept himself and Allison out of Laura's house, he wasn't about to complain.

He usually put the returned books away, sometimes fixed things for the head librarian, Mrs. Hudson, when she asked him to, and generally showed the patrons where they could find their books if they needed help. A few times, if Kira couldn't make it in to read to the pre-schoolers, Mrs. Hudson asked Derek to do it. That's where he met Jennifer.

Jennifer Blake had a three year old named Matt, whom she shared custody with her ex Duke. Derek had never met this elusive Duke, but the way Jennifer talked about him it seemed like he already knew him. It's obvious, even to him, that Jennifer still loved Duke, but at the same time, held a bitter resentment for the man for leaving her for some gym coach named Ennis.

Derek liked Jennifer, thought maybe she could be a good friend, but when she brought up the prospect of going on a date he found himself hesitating. He hadn't dated anyone in a very long time, not since Kate left him, and despite Laura's attempts to get him a girlfriend, he still found himself watching movies with Allison on Friday nights. So his dating skills were a bit rusty. Also he couldn't help thinking about how Stiles would feel if he accepted a date with Jennifer. Which was a bit odd, but he didn't spend too much time on that bit.

He told Jennifer he'd think about it, and she gave him her number, collecting Matt and leaving the library. After work, Derek drove to Laura's place, finding his sister sitting on her front porch with Nick, her feet in his lap, watching Allison chase Isaac around the yard.

Derek dodged the two kids, heading up the steps, taking a seat on the top step. He leaned forward, elbows resting on his thighs, and said, "I got asked on a date today."

"No shit," Laura replied sounding surprised. "When's the nuptials?"

She smirked when he threw a glare at her, and he grumbled, "I told her I'd think about it."

"Wait, her?" Laura's eyebrows raised in surprise. "I thought…" she trailed off, clearing her throat, and asked, "What's this woman's name?"

"You thought what?" Derek gave his sister a questioning look, but she just shook her head, shrugging. Deciding it wasn't worth it, Derek said, "Jennifer Blake. She brings her son to the library during weekly story time, we've been talking for a few weeks."

"Jennifer Blake?" Laura looked over at Nick, raising an eyebrow. "She sounds familiar."

"New English teacher," Nick supplied glancing down at Derek. "She's been in town for a few months. She replaced that guy," he looked back at Laura, "you know the one, whose twin is married to Danny Mahealani."

"Ethan has a twin?" Laura made an 'hm' sound and said, "All I remember is that the old English teacher got into a fight with Jackson Whittemore out front of the high school. It made the first page of the Beacon Hills Gazette."

"Isn't that the story Stiles covered?" Nick asked curiously.

"Well, Stiles _is_ the editor," Laura reminded Nick

Derek's interests piqued tenfold at the mention of Stiles. He knew Stiles worked for the Gazette, but he didn't know the guy was the editor. The way he described his job made it sound like he just wrote a few of the pieces. The saying was true, he really did learn something new every day.

"So, are you going to go on this date?" Laura asked finally returning to their original topic. Derek had long since given up trying to keep his sister and her husband on topic; they would usually get back to it eventually. Unlike Stiles who seemed to forget the topic all together most of the time.

"Uh, I don't know…" Derek shrugged, picking a dead leaf up, rolling it between his fingers.

"Why? Holding out for someone else?" Laura waggled her eyebrows suggestively when Derek looked back at her, and he frowned, confused. "Oh come on," she scoffed throwing her hands in the air. "Whatever," she grumbled shaking her head. "Why, my dear, grumpy, oblivious, baby brother, did you not say yes?"

"Are you mocking me?" Laura shrugged, obviously not going to say anything, and Derek sighed heavily, looking back at Allison. "I just, I don't want…"

"Oh come on." Laura swung herself around, getting to her feet, and stomped down the stairs. She moved towards Allison, halting hers and Isaac's game, and asked her something. Derek watched as Allison's eyes widened for a moment before she nodded vigorously, grinning Derek's way.

Laura led Allison towards her father. She gestured to the small girl, her eyes meeting Derek's. "Ask her."

Derek sighed heavily, but still looked at Allison. "Bug, would it be okay if Daddy went out with a friend?"

"Like a date?" Allison asked in a sing song voice, her grin widening, swinging her body back and forth.

"Uh, yeah, like a date," Derek replied nodding.

"Is it with Mr. Stiles?"

"Uh, no." Where had that come from? "W-why would it be with Mr. Stiles?" Derek spared a glance at Laura, who seemed to find her nails to be very interesting, trying to hide the smug look on her face.

Allison frowned. "Why not Mr. Stiles?"

"Her name's Jennifer," Derek stated ignoring Allison's question, and the way his heart skipped a beat at the mere mention of dating Stiles. "She's very nice. I think you'll like her."

"Uh-huh," Allison retorted skeptical, glancing over her shoulder at Isaac. "I've gotta go back to playing, Daddy." She turned and ran back towards her cousin, whispering something in his ear. He shook his head, quietly saying something back, and she scoffed, threw her hands in the air, and said, "Let's play hide and seek then."

"Well, Der, she approves, so tell this Jennifer Blake that you'll go on a date with her," Laura said already heading back up the porch steps, taking a seat in Nick's lap. "Maybe we can double sometime." She shared a glance with Nick, and he shrugged, running a hand down her back.

"Yeah," Derek muttered still not quite sure why Allison thought he and Stiles were going on a date, "maybe."

* * *

Jennifer looked very nice in her light green sundress, making Derek feel a bit under dressed in a blue Henley and a pair of jeans. He even had mud on the bottom of his boots, but he didn't have any shoes other than a pair of tattered looking Chucks, and the attempt to get the mess off the bottom of his shoes at Laura's had been a complete disaster.

He handed Jennifer the daisies Laura had insisted he get, after telling him to compliment Jennifer, but Derek, already very, very nervous, only managed to blurt out, "My friend Stiles bought his daughter a dress a bit like that, but Erica wears her green Converse with it instead of heels."

"I bet she looks cute in it," Jennifer stated with a small smile. "Uh, shall we go?"

"Yeah," Derek said nodding, turning and heading towards his car. He opened the door for Jennifer, figuring it's the least he can do, and waited for her to get inside. As he closed the door, he recounted the time Stiles had somehow managed to close his foot in the door.

"And he did like this flailing move," Derek continued ducking into the driver side, mimicking the move as best as he could, cracking his knuckles into the window. "Ow," he whispered shaking his hand. "I think Stiles even did that, too."

Jennifer offered a half smile, leaning back into her seat, clutching her flowers in her hand. "So, uh, where are we going?" she asked curiously.

"This place Stiles suggested." When Derek had told Stiles about his date, the guy had been quiet for a few minutes too long, something unidentifiable flickering in his eyes. Eventually he smiled and told Derek about Jackson's Bistro, a few blocks away from the record store, owned by a guy who had graduated high school with Stiles. "He said the place had good fries." Jennifer nodded, but didn't say anything, looking out the window.

The silence continued all the way to the bistro, following the couple inside and to their table. As they waited for their waiter, Jennifer asked, "So, what grade is Allison in?"

"Kindergarten," Derek answered looking down at his menu. "She's growing up so fast. She'll be six in three months." Derek looked up, asking, "What about Matt? Is he ready for school?"

"Matty won't be four until June, so he still has a few years," Jennifer replied with a small smile, the same smile Stiles always wore when he talked about Erica, "but he seemed excited when I brought him to the high school the other day."

"Allison went to school with Cora one year," Derek stated with a fond smile, "and she had been so excited when she came home. Kept asking me when she could go to school, and I'd keep saying 'not for another few years, Bug.'"

They shared a smile, finding common ground when it came to their children, and spent a good twenty-five minutes talking about Allison and Matt. But eventually the topic of their kids petered out, and they were back to silence again.

Derek, feeling as if he should probably say something, commented, "So, uh, my sister tells me you've only been in town for a few months."

"Yeah." Jennifer nodded, fiddling with her fork. "Aiden Wilcox asked to be transferred to another school, a few towns over, and they needed a new English teacher. I was bouncing between substituting jobs, so I jumped at the chance to take the job. I love literature and want to share that love with my students."

Derek jumped on that topic, books pretty much the only form of entertainment he had nowadays (if he didn't count cartoons and Disney or Pixar films), and the two spent another twenty-five minutes talking about Vonnegut and Hemingway.

"Stiles likes Bukowski," Derek informed Jennifer, dipping a few fries into some ketchup, "but I never saw the appeal, you know. I mean, sure, he's a good poet, but I'd much rather sit and read a good Plath poem than a Bukowski, you know?"

"Uh-huh," Jennifer mumbled picking at her steak. "So, how long have you known this Stiles guy?"

"What?" Derek looked up from his burger, eyebrows furrowed.

"Have you known this Stiles guy long?"

Derek ran a hand through his hair, thinking, and said, "Um, only a few months. We met Allison's first day of school. She and his daughter Erica are friends, along with his brother Scott. Why do you ask?"

"No reason," she responded evasively, stabbing her fork into her steak. "Are you and this Stiles guy friends or something?"

"Yeah, we're friends," Derek nodded, taking a sip of his coke. "We usually have coffee after we drop the girls and Scott off, and sometimes we'll hang out during the weekends." Since 'defending' Allison's honor, Scott had become a permanent fixture on their morning commute to the grade school. "He's my best friend, actually, which is crazy because I really haven't had a best friend since high school."

Jennifer gave Derek a tight lipped smile, looking down at her plate, and they spent the rest of their dinner with a tense silence between them. Derek had a feeling he fucked up somewhere, but he couldn't be one-hundred percent certain where exactly.

On the drive back to Jennifer's house, Jennifer looked out the window again, tapping her fingers against her green, canvas bag, and the motion reminder Derek of Stiles a bit; the younger guy never quite sitting still, no matter how hard he tried, long, nimble fingers tapping against anything within his reach.

When Derek pulled up to Jennifer's house, he reached for his door handle, ready to get out and walk her to her front door, but she held up a hand, stopping him. "I've got it, okay."

"Okay," he answered softly, letting his hand drop from the handle. "So, uh…"

"Good-bye, Derek," Jennifer said and opened her door, walking away from his car without looking back. The overwhelming urge to apologize attacked Derek, but he didn't know what for exactly, so he just ignored it and threw his car into drive, pulling back into the street.

* * *

Derek unlocked his apartment door, tossing his keys on the kitchen counter when he stepped inside, closing the door behind him. He ran a hand through his hair, kicking his shoes off, and headed towards his couch. He collapsed face first onto it, knowing he should probably get to bed so he could pick Allison up in the morning, but he didn't want to move, the couch way too comfortable.

His phone buzzed, and he groaned, his eyes popping open. Sitting up, Derek pulled it from his pocket, checking the screen. It's a text from Stiles:

_How was your date?_

_Terrible,_ Derek typed back leaning his head back.

His phone rang a moment later and he smiled, answering with a soft, "Yeah?"

"_What do you mean terrible?"_ Stiles asked curiously.

"I'm not exactly sure, but I'm pretty sure we're not going to have another," Derek muttered closing his eyes. "She seemed less and less interested as the night wore on."

"_Maybe you're just an uninteresting person,"_ Stiles teased and Derek snorted, shaking his head. "_Well, you win some, you lose some, right?"_

"Yeah," Derek agreed nodding. "So, what are you doing?"

_"Plotting world domination,"_ Stiles replied just as a male shouted, "_What the fuck Stilinski! Stop talking to your boyfriend and get your ass back in here!"_

"_Shut up, Jackson,"_ Stiles hissed and then he said, "_I-I'm sorry about, uh, about him. He's an asshole."_

"I-it's fine," Derek assured the younger guy, his ears and neck burning. "So, uh, I, uh, I should let you go then."

"_Yeah,"_ Stiles replied and Derek could hear him nod. "See you on the bus Monday."

"Definitely," Derek agreed and the two breathed into the phone for an extra ten seconds before both ended the connection.

* * *

**Did you spot the Sherlock reference :)**


	5. Derek's Birthday

**Here's a new chapter!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Bye!**

* * *

Derek had been one of those unlucky few to be born around Christmas. His parents didn't put too much effort into throwing him parties, since their family would be gathering a week later for the holidays, so Derek had just gotten used to celebrating his birthday on the twenty-fifth. So, to be awoken at five-thirty, to orange juice spilling onto his face, was a bit new to him.

He sputtered awake, coughing, sitting up. Allison stood over him, carrying a mug brimming with orange juice, some of it spilling over the lip and dripping down her hand. She grinned and exclaimed, "Happy Birthday, Daddy!"

"Thank you, Bug," Derek replied carefully taking the glass from her, taking a sip. He tried to not make a face, placing it on his nightstand. "I see you put sugar in it."

"Yup." Allison nodded, scrambling onto Derek's bed. "It's just like your coffee."

"Yes it is," Derek mumbled with a small smile. "Don't you think it's a little too early to be awake?"

"Nope." Allison shook her head, sitting back on her heels. "Auntie Laura and Auntie Cora will be here soon."

"For what?"

"I'm not s'pposed to say," Allison said standing and jumping off Derek's bed, already walking out of the room.

"Who says?"

"Auntie Laura," Allison responded in a sing-song voice, disappearing around the corner. "Can I have Corn Flakes for breakfast?!"

* * *

After a quick shower and a bowl of cereal (Derek still didn't understand why Allison chose to eat Cheerios and Corn Flakes over Lucky Charms and Cocoa Puffs), Derek found himself opening his door to his sisters, Laura more awake than Cora. The former brandished a card and said, "Isaac says Happy Birthday."

"Thanks," Derek grunted taking the homemade card. _Happy Birthday_ had been written across the front of the card, the word birthday missing an r, and a stick figure had been drawn underneath the message. It looked a bit like Isaac tried to draw Derek, but he couldn't be sure. Were his eyebrows really _that_ thick?

"Yes," Cora commented obviously reading his mind (because she's an evil witch), shoving past Derek so she could step inside his apartment. "You didn't make coffee?"

"We're out," Derek replied opening the card. Isaac drew another stick Derek, this one holding hands with a stick Allison, and he had written (no doubt with Laura's help): '_I don't know how old you are, but Mommy says old.' _Derek snorted, shaking his head, and closed the card. "Tell him thank you," he said to Laura.

"Alright," she responded with a small smirk. She then turned to Allison, who'd been shaking with excitement right next to Derek, and asked, "Are you ready to go, Allison?"

"Lemme grab Inky," Allison said and rushed out of the room. She returned a few seconds later, her wolf in her hands, and ran out the door, calling over her shoulder, "Can we stop for doughnuts?"

"Where are we going?" Derek followed his sisters out of his apartment, locking the door behind him.

"I'm sorry," Laura said moving down the hall, away from him, "I can't hear you. Maybe try speaking up a bit."

Derek sighed, turning to Cora, but she just shrugged and said, "The Freak won't tell me either. She says I can't keep a secret."

"You can't."

"I hope a pigeon craps in your hair," Cora retorted darkly, her eyes narrowing. She then walked ahead of Derek, catching up with Laura. Sometimes Derek wondered if Cora had been possessed by a demon when they were younger and their parents just never told them.

* * *

On the ride to wherever the hell they were going, Derek's phone buzzed from his pocket. He fumbled with it, trying to get it out, but Laura's backseat was so cramped he ended up cracking his head on the window. Finally, he pulled his phone free, checking the screen. Stiles had texted him:

_Hey, Happy Birthday Dude!_

Derek glanced up at Laura, but her eyes were on the road. He then looked down at his phone and typed back: _Have you been talking to my sister? Please say no._

_Allison told me,_ Stiles wrote back. _She also told me where you're going, but I can't tell you. I promised her._

_When did you talk to Allison?_

_Last week, during the kids' Christmas party. Which you did not volunteer for. Shame on you, Mr. Hale._

Actually, Derek _had_ volunteered, but he had to back out at the last minute when Mrs. Hudson called in sick. And since Kira had gone to Washington for her cousin's wedding, Derek was the only one who could work the morning shift at the library.

_So, how old are you now? 40, 45?_

_Wow, thanks for making me sound so young. I'll be sure to tell my surgeon he did a great job._

_I don't know. I'd have asked for less eyebrow if I were you ;P_

Derek snorted, putting his phone away, looking up to see Laura giving him a knowing smile. Cursing himself for even telling Laura about his and Jennifer's date, he glared at her, grumbling under his breath, "Shut up, Laura."

"I didn't say anything," she replied, her smile growing, her eyes flicking back to the road. "But when Stiles texts back, tell him I said hi."

Derek mentally flipped his sister off, not wanting to be the reason Allison learned how to flip the bird, and glared out the window for the rest of the ride.

* * *

Derek recognized the clearing the moment Laura parked her car. He and his sisters hadn't been there since before their parents died, but he could clearly remember how he and his family would camp out on some weekends. They'd usually pitch two tents, cramming the kids in one and the adults in the other. It's the same place Cora broke her ankle because Derek dared her to climb that old, crooked tree next to the campsite. The same place Laura pushed Derek into the lake because he put a worm in her hair. Their family had so many memories there, so many moments that they couldn't relive yet they would never forget.

Derek had to blink twice to clear his vision.

"Auntie Laura says this place is special," Allison whispered clambering into Derek's lap, pressing her face to the glass so she could look outside. "Can we get out?"

"Yeah," Laura replied opening her door. She pushed her seat forward, letting Derek and Allison out. Allison immediately began running around, no doubt needing to burn off her never ending energy, and Cora chased after her, the smaller girl giggling and shouting, "No Auntie Cora! No!"

Laura moved to stand next to Derek, bumping his shoulder with hers, and softly said, "Happy Birthday, Baby Bro."

"Thank you," he replied wrapping an arm around her. She rested her head on his shoulder, and he kissed her hair.

"We should have invited Stiles," she whispered and laughed when he pushed her away from him. His sisters could be a pain in the ass sometimes.


End file.
